Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1149 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-07-28
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Colour, Dolby, PAL, Special Edition, Subtitled
• Original language: English, Czech
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 103 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on the chilling bestseller by Stephen King, Misery was brought to the screen by director Rob Reiner as one of the most effective thrillers of the 1990s. From a brilliant adaptation by screenwriter William Goldman, Reiner turned King's cautionary tale of fame and idolatry into a mainstream masterpiece of escalating suspense, translating King's own experience with obsessive fans into a frightening tale of entrapment and psychotic behavior. Kathy Bates deservedly won an Academy Award for her performance as Annie Wilkes, an unbalanced devotee of romance novels written by Paul Sheldon (James Caan), whose books provide Annie with a much-needed escape from her pathetic life and her secret, violent past. After Annie rescues the injured Sheldon from a car accident, she seizes the opportunity to nurse her favorite writer back to health, but her tender loving care soon turns to terrorism as she demands that Sheldon write his latest novel according to her wish-fulfillment fantasies. From this point forward, Misery percolates to a boil as equal parts mystery, thriller, and cleverly dark comedy, with the helpless author pitched in deadly warfare against his number one fan. While Bates carefully modulates her role from doting kindness to sympathetic loneliness and finally to horrifying ferocity, Caan is equally superb as the celebrated author who must literally write for his life. It's essentially a two-actor film, but Richard Farnsworth and Lauren Bacall are excellent in supporting roles as they investigate the writer's mysterious disappearance. Frightening, funny, and totally irresistible, Misery was such a hit that some of Bates's dialogue entered the popular lexicon (particularly her nagging reference to Caan as "Mister Man"), and its nail-biting thrills remain timelessly intense. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
Romance author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) longs to be rid of Misery, his plucky heroine of seven novels. She has delivered him fame and fortune and recognition beyond the average writer's dreams, but she is also interminably linked to him. Determined to escape an eternal role as pulp novelist, he kills her off in the eighth novel and heads to his New England cabin to work on his own Great American Novel. Upon completion, Sheldon excitedly sets out for his New York City publisher in the midst of a raging blizzard and within minutes veers into a desolate snowbank. From the brink of death, he is rescued from the snow by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who just so happens to be Misery's self-professed biggest fan. At first, she nurses him back to health in her remote cabin, telling him the roads and phones are damaged by the storm, fawning over his literary accomplishments. However, things change when she purchases his eighth Misery book and reaches the point of Misery's death. Annie's psychotic underbelly swiftly surfaces as the unfortunate author is held clandestinely captive in her home. Meanwhile, a wily small-town sheriff (Richard Farnsworth) circles in...
Director Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's novel is an eerie tale of obsessiveness and isolation. The film features an excellent turn by Caan and an Oscar-winning performance by Bates.

Customer Reviews

My Favourite Stephen King Adaptation
Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is a writer who has just finished his latest novel. While driving down from the mountains in a snow storm, he crashes and blacks out. He is rescued by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) and wakes up in a bedroom in her house.

Paul is relieved that he was found and he is OK but gets slighty uncomfortable after Annie loses her temper over Paul's latest book. From here, Annie turns into a complete psychopath and what we see are some of the most disturbing and horrifying images ever put on screen.

I think that Misery is the best Stephen King novel and best film adaptation, both the film and book, 5 stars.

great - but not quite so good as the novel
I first watched this movie a few years ago now, and loved it. Kathy Bates shines as Annie Wilkes, while James Caan is also good as writer Paul Sheldon. The director has created a thrilling, suspenseful film that keeps you watching to the very end.
However, last week I decided to read the book for the first time and this has ruined the magic of the film slightly for me. The book is simply fantastic. It is a lot darker and more vivid than the film, especially in the 'hobbling' scene, which is different to that featured in the movie.
I would advise people to watch the film before they read the book, because if you do it in reverse order, the film does not live up to the wonder of the novel. But all in all, it is still a strongly recommended movie.

No Misery here!!!
This is one amazing movie.
I think the best 'King'-novel-to-film adaptaion that has been done.

This came along at a time when James Caan needed a hit as he was just out of rehab'. Luckily for us he pulls it off perfectly, and delivers a brilliant compeling performance. But by anyone's measure; Kathy Bates delivers an absolutely stellar performance as the deranged 'Annie Wilkes'.
Some people have commented that there are bits missing from the book, true, but what is left here is 1st class.
With oscar winning performances, and a tight script plus one of the best (if not THE best) female leads ever; this is one to keep and watch again & again.